Akane Kurashiki [June] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sesenta) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
melodiesoflife2016-10-17 12:45 pm
sesenta) wrote in melodiesoflife2016-10-17 12:45 pm
Entry tags:
Prelude to Terrible Things
WHO: Akane Kurashiki, OPEN
WHAT: Akane is not having much luck mastering her Magitek Knight and Engineering jobs. All she wanted was to drive around in a giant robot! And why can't she master a simple dish of spaghetti and meatballs?!
WHEN: October 17th
WHERE: Calm Plains / House B-08
Calm Plains
Having just begun learning Magitek Knight, and with Squall no longer present to teach her, Akane was basically on her own to figure out the complexities of this unique job. The armor itself, at least, was very cute, and it did a decent job keeping her off the ground and away from most medium and small monsters as she tried to figure out how to pilot the thing. That was the easy part, at least. Rather than whirring around with the mechanical 'KA-CHUNK KA-CHUNK' of regular Magitek Armor, it sounded as if the Armor were wearing squeaky slippers. Cute! And a little more stealthy, as squeaks were quieter than 'KA-CHUNKS.'
Once she felt comfortable enough moving in the armor, she decided to try combat. Not against real monsters, of course, that was much too dangerous to attempt all on her own. But she could line up rocks, putting a big painted 'X' on the enemy rocks, and a happy face on the two ally rocks. After all, combat wasn't just about beating up the monster, it was supporting and defending your teammates too. The last thing she wanted to do was squish an unsuspecting Hero of Light who got too close to Akane when she wasn't paying proper attention.
"Okay..." Pulling the goggles from her neck and settling them over her eyes, she let her fingers glide over the control panel. "Targeting Enemy #2 first, let's try..." The Machine Gun? Why not. Clutching the steering column firmly, she flicked a switch with her pinky finger.
A hailstorm of magical bullets ripped into the grass as the cockpit swung wildly around in circles. "WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!" The sheer force of the spinning slammed Akane back in her seat, and her legs stuck straight out to slam on a brake pedal that was never there. Frantically she swiped at the switch, glancing up just in time to see a happy looking rock go gliding past her line of vision. It was missing a painted eye.
The switch clicked, and the machine quieted with a happy hum. Akane's hands were shaking. "I...I definitely need to practice..." she whispered to herself. Her poor rock allies.
* * * * *
House B-08
After the disastrous training exercise on the Plains, Akane thought she might work on her other equipped job instead: Engineer. If she was using her Kupoppet in a non-battle situation, doing meticulous things, then acting in combat would, theoretically, be much less difficult.
...Theoretically.
There were splatters of mashed toamtoes dripping down the walls, and a thick burning stink hanging in the air that came from the quietly burbling pot of meat sludge on the stove. She would have to start over, she knew, but at least the pasta was turning out okay. Pasta was difficult to mess up as long as you didn't cook it too long or too little. With the colander sitting in the sink, Akane hovered close by her Moogle-like puppet, which was carefully, carefully, tipping the saucepan of hot water and boiled noodles toward the colander.
"Okay...pour very slowly and very carefully..." she instructed as a doting mother would guide her child.
The puppet's arms twitched violently, upending the entire pot at once. A mass of hot, wet spaghetti noodles sailed through the air, flopping and flailing toward the living room. Now would be a very bad time for a housemate to emerge.
WHAT: Akane is not having much luck mastering her Magitek Knight and Engineering jobs. All she wanted was to drive around in a giant robot! And why can't she master a simple dish of spaghetti and meatballs?!
WHEN: October 17th
WHERE: Calm Plains / House B-08
Calm Plains
Having just begun learning Magitek Knight, and with Squall no longer present to teach her, Akane was basically on her own to figure out the complexities of this unique job. The armor itself, at least, was very cute, and it did a decent job keeping her off the ground and away from most medium and small monsters as she tried to figure out how to pilot the thing. That was the easy part, at least. Rather than whirring around with the mechanical 'KA-CHUNK KA-CHUNK' of regular Magitek Armor, it sounded as if the Armor were wearing squeaky slippers. Cute! And a little more stealthy, as squeaks were quieter than 'KA-CHUNKS.'
Once she felt comfortable enough moving in the armor, she decided to try combat. Not against real monsters, of course, that was much too dangerous to attempt all on her own. But she could line up rocks, putting a big painted 'X' on the enemy rocks, and a happy face on the two ally rocks. After all, combat wasn't just about beating up the monster, it was supporting and defending your teammates too. The last thing she wanted to do was squish an unsuspecting Hero of Light who got too close to Akane when she wasn't paying proper attention.
"Okay..." Pulling the goggles from her neck and settling them over her eyes, she let her fingers glide over the control panel. "Targeting Enemy #2 first, let's try..." The Machine Gun? Why not. Clutching the steering column firmly, she flicked a switch with her pinky finger.
A hailstorm of magical bullets ripped into the grass as the cockpit swung wildly around in circles. "WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!" The sheer force of the spinning slammed Akane back in her seat, and her legs stuck straight out to slam on a brake pedal that was never there. Frantically she swiped at the switch, glancing up just in time to see a happy looking rock go gliding past her line of vision. It was missing a painted eye.
The switch clicked, and the machine quieted with a happy hum. Akane's hands were shaking. "I...I definitely need to practice..." she whispered to herself. Her poor rock allies.
* * * * *
House B-08
After the disastrous training exercise on the Plains, Akane thought she might work on her other equipped job instead: Engineer. If she was using her Kupoppet in a non-battle situation, doing meticulous things, then acting in combat would, theoretically, be much less difficult.
...Theoretically.
There were splatters of mashed toamtoes dripping down the walls, and a thick burning stink hanging in the air that came from the quietly burbling pot of meat sludge on the stove. She would have to start over, she knew, but at least the pasta was turning out okay. Pasta was difficult to mess up as long as you didn't cook it too long or too little. With the colander sitting in the sink, Akane hovered close by her Moogle-like puppet, which was carefully, carefully, tipping the saucepan of hot water and boiled noodles toward the colander.
"Okay...pour very slowly and very carefully..." she instructed as a doting mother would guide her child.
The puppet's arms twitched violently, upending the entire pot at once. A mass of hot, wet spaghetti noodles sailed through the air, flopping and flailing toward the living room. Now would be a very bad time for a housemate to emerge.
Calm Plains
... Is that fun?
[blinkblink]
no subject
[Akane was slumped pitifully over the controls of the powered down machine, a ruin of rocks and grass all around her.]
It's very, very frustrating.
[Why did her teacher have to fall into crystal stasis? What is she supposed to do now?]
no subject
[Lailah busts out her Blacksmith and Programmer job knowledge and takes a look.]
The wiring is slightly wrong here. See this blue wire? It's plugged into where the red wire should be. And the red wire is plugged into where the green wire currently is. You know what, let me have a moment with this.
[click click click]
Here, now try it!
no subject
[She's pretty good with machines herself, but this technology is definitely new to her. Was that really all it was, a simple case of poor wiring?]
Please stand back. This machine can be very dangerous. ...Especially to ally rocks.
no subject
[Lailah places her hand on Akane's shoulder.]
I know it may be frustrating. There are times when you may wish to give up, because it seems hopeless. But every single time something you do doesn't work, you've gained knowledge. Perhaps you'll gain insight from knowing what won't work, or maybe this function will have a particular use in the future.
Would you rather have the malfunction now, or in the middle of a battle when it might be most imperative for it to work?
no subject
[Akane's smile is weak. It's so nice of Lailah to worry about her like this. She's not just discouraged, she's tired. It doesn't help that her sleep has been fitful ever since Downapolis, and she's been spacing out a lot more than she usually does. Did that place really affect her so badly? But she'd experienced so much worse...]
[She scrubs her hands over her face.]
I'm sorry. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. Maybe I just lack focus.
[Akane sighs.]
I have to be cautious, now more than ever. If we die in this world, it's permanent. No more second chances. I don't have Life magic, or phoenix downs, so if I shot you... You understand, right? I can't have your blood on my hands and expect to live it down.
no subject
[Lailah sits down next to Akane.]
There is nothing wrong wanting the best for everyone involved, but not taking care of yourself won't make anybody happy, either. It's because life is fleeting that it's precious, and realizing that is a good thing, in my opinion. But being paralyzed by it... I wouldn't consider that living, would you?
no subject
[She carefully climbs down out of the armor, since Lailah's determined to stay with her, and settles down to sit on the charred grass as well.]
I guess I'm just tired of hurting people.
[Akane sighs heavily, folding her arms around her knees. Even her poor roommate can't seem to catch a break around her.]
If I'm going to protect people, I have to practice, and get a lot stronger. And it's not easy overcoming the fear of being gutted on the spot by a rampaging monster either! But...I can't really afford to let myself be coddled.
no subject
Look, I know I may be overstepping my bounds, but...
If you ever need someone to talk with, please keep me in mind.
[Lailah stands up and gives a bow.]
You should get some rest.
no subject
[She smiles down at her knees, feeling oddly warm and happy. There's just something very maternal about Lailah, and it inspires a mild hint of nostalgia. Akane has no memory of her parents, but in her subconscious, that feeling was still there.]
Maybe I should. I got so worked up, I don't think I'll be able to make much progress today.
[Standing to her feet, she brushes the grass off of the back of her purple sweater dress.]
I'm Akane, by the way. It was nice to meet you.
no subject
[Lailah politely bows once again]
I won't pretend to know your circumstances or where you come from, but I'm always available to listen.
I believe that someone with so much kindness within them as you... it would be a terrible thing to go to waste.
no subject
Thanks. Maybe I'll take you up on that someday.
[She turns around and stands on her toes, reaching into the cockpit of her Moogletek Armor to disable the weapons and set it to follow her home.]
House B-08
no subject
[Her scolding changes quickly to embarrassed panic once she turns her head and catches sight of Hisui, defeated and miserable.]
Hisui!! Oh no, are you all right? Did you get hit? I'm so sorry!
no subject
[Man, being around this woman really did a number on his nards.]
You've got to stop making a habit of this...!
no subject
[She still feels horrible about it. What should she even do?]
Should...should I get some ice? Will that help?
[All the while, the 'sauce' on the stove continues to darken and stink.]
no subject
[and Hisui throws up all over Akane's shoes.]
House B-08 (he's practically a housemate, right?)
"Maybe we shouldn't mix cooking lessons and puppet practice, huh?"
He confiscates the tomato sauce and removes it from the heat on the stove. "I'll crack open a window. You see if you can get butterfingers over there to clean up that mess."
He'd do it, but, you know, new shoes.
PRETTY MUCH YEAH
Don't let those shoes go anywhere near Hisui, Santa.Akane gazed helplessly up at her older brother, her entire face practically screaming with desperation. She didn't understand why everything was going so horribly wrong when she was trying so hard to get it right. Why was she able to manage to bag, kill, and stash a dead shark in a murder mystery puzzle room replica, while making edible spaghetti sauce remained an impossibility?
"Aoi! Wh..." She looked at the door, then the window. When did he get here? No, it wasn't worth questioning. For now, he was her shining hero of the culinary world, and she was very glad to see him. At least this way she might be able to salvage something to eat instead of going to bed sadly gnawing on a wrinkled apple.
"Yes, of course. Please come with me," she gestured to the puppet, but the little Moogle creation had its head tipped back as if it were completely fascinated with her brother. A tiny mechanical leg ratcheted back...
"NO!" Akane rushed forward and picked it up under the arms, hauling it back before it could boot Aoi's shin. "What is wrong with you? That wasn't even remotely similar to what I just said! I'm sorry, Aoi, I seem to be all thumbs with machines lately. Nothing's working right."
no subject
Aoi gave the puppet a withering scowl. "Did that bastard O'aka sell you faulty shit? No wonder he doesn't sell warranties, that shady son of a bitch. We should take it back and get our gil back."
And if he refuses, small bombs should do the trick. Aoi takes care of the window, keeping a safe distance from the shitty puppet.
no subject
"I suppose we might have to," she sighed, carrying the Moogle mannequin into the living room. "It's hard to say if it's the equipment or me, though. I've never tried using this job before, this could be a normal part of the learning process. Besides," she chuckled, setting the puppet down and watching it look up at her with an inquisitive and mechanical squeak, "it really is cute. Stay there now," she pointed at the puppet. It pointed back at her. Good enough.
She rushed back to the kitchen to help Aoi, running water from the sink so she could soak the sludge-drenched pan. "What about you? What jobs are you going to master next?"
no subject
He focuses his attention on scrubbing away the remnants of Akane's latest disaster.
"Told you, I'm gonna be an Overlord. Dunno after that. Depends on what it seems like I need to deal with all the weird shit that pops up here."
no subject
That meant he'd probably start mastering Black and White Mage at some point too. That was on her list of future jobs as well, so perhaps they'd work on them together. Double Sages! Pretty fearsome stuff.
"It is a little hard to predict," she admitted. "I'd like to keep being a Seer, but I won't be able to work on any other jobs if I do. And I guess it's important to master ten of them, so I'll have to focus on different things."
no subject
Well, figuratively. The job is literally a pain, with most of the skills of Dark Knight derived from sacrificing life to do cool shit.
"Do you think you'll get to 10 in time? I figure it's safer to level one job at a time, so I always got a good job to fall back on if I need it while I'm learning the other one."
He's not convinced the potential benefits outweigh the risks, is the thing.
And then I did actual math
She wasn't sure how best to help in the kitchen just yet, so she hovered annoyingly close to her brother to see what he was going for. She could help once she knew that much. But...since they were talking about jobs and how to best maximize them, she instead took out some paper and a pen, writing down a quick chart.
"Then you have to level up four more jobs equally with the experience orb, while keeping your maximized jobs equipped, so the passive experience is spread out as much as possible. Then you get the double experience bonus if you maximize seven jobs, and do the same thing with the last three -- only equip jobs you've maximized and level up the last three at equal speeds."
"That's the ideal path to take," she said, stepping back. "I tried the same calculations that focused on using an experience orb right from the start to maximize the one job in order to accumulate the other jobs more swiftly, but the results were the same. It's also a little daunting to collect that much money in under a month," she reported. "Of course, I don't have an experience orb at the moment, so my path isn't really the ideal one. But, assuming one never has months of unusual experience growth, nor encounters with friendly monsters, it will take approximately twenty months to complete, as long as someone is very active and involved with the major events of this world."
no subject
His sister's tendency to whip out the complex mathamatics for everyday situations might have contributed to her not having friends as a child.
"And all the maximized pathways to job mastery in the world ain't gonna matter if you get yourself killed before you get there. It's dangerous havin' two whimpy-ass jobs at once. I'm gonna make sure I've always got the skills to keep you safe."
no subject
She looked mildly hurt at being told her jobs were whimpy-ass. "They're supposed to be really powerful," she protested feebly, sulking. "I'm just not very good at them yet."
The puppet had its head planted against the wall, pushing against it as its stubby legs walked uselessly in place.
"But you know...eventually you'll want to keep someone else safe too, won't you?" she said quietly, holding her arms and heaving a small sigh. "I don't want to get in the way of something like that. I need to learn to stand on my own sometimes too, or you'll never get to live for your own sake."
no subject
He looked away from her, cheeks going a little red. "Who said anything about anybody else? Don't I got my hands full takin' care of all this crystal mess?" It's not precisely a lie. He doesn't plan on letting his relationship with Duster interfere with taking care of Akane. Duster can take care of himself, except when it comes to dressing himself in fashionable clothing. So, for their purposes, it's no big deal.
no subject
It was just standing there, staring at her. It was a little creepy for a moment...until it tipped over and laid down in the middle of the floor. She really needed to take a look at that thing. She wasn't all that familiar with the technology of the Ancients, but she was a fairly good mechanic. Maybe she could improve on the design.
When she looked back at her brother, she was surprised. "Aoi, your face is red!" Then slowly she gaaaaaaaasped before her face broke out into a delighted smile. "Oh, so you two are dating already! That's wonderful!"
no subject
If by improve the design, Akane meant 'add flowers and a traditional Chinese outfit', Aoi believed it.He scratched the back of his head and turned. "I mean, yeah...but, not...no, we are." He shut up. How did Akane deal with these...feelings...all the time? Is this what Junpei did to her?
"He's...he's really great, Akane. What's he even doin' with a guy like me?" He couldn't see how they could have a future together, all things considered. And it was scary, how much that thought hurt.
no subject
He was right about one thing, feelings were hard. It had been a struggle with each of those passing nine hours not to spill her heart out to Junpei, and apologize for what she was going to put him through. And in the end, what did she do? She fled those feelings. So she probably wasn't the expert, but she was genuinely glad to see that her brother was finally starting to let someone else into his life.
"Besides," she said, her voice quieting a little. "What you did, you did to save me. You're not some bad guy, or...or crazy alien warlord. You just wanted to protect your family, so I could protect the world. No regrets, remember?"
no subject
"Yeah, I don't regret it. I'd do it again, as many times as I need to." Nothing was ever going to change that. But that didn't mean that a lover would want to accept that. Duster had been understanding so far, but he did not have the same ruthlessness that the Crash Keys had in their blood.
"And we'll do whatever we gotta to keep this world safe." Even if it meant they had to be alone.
no subject
Because the world needed him even more than she did. And it wasn't fair. She couldn't turn him loose to live a happy life far away from her, because the world was going to burn if they didn't act. Akane stared down at the floor. No regrets.
No regrets.
"But first, we should do whatever we've got to do to make dinner," she smiled, tucking her hands behind her back so he wouldn't see them clenched into trembling fists. "Right?"
no subject
It looked like most of the smoke has cleared, so he pushed the window down so that it was only cracked. The weather was getting colder, and he didn't want either of them getting sick.
"Ok, do you got enough ingredients to start over, or do we to make somethin' new?"
no subject
Sure enough, she opened the pantry to haul out a large sack of tomatoes, onions, and peppers. She had plenty of dried pasta noodles too, as well as extra packages of ground beef. Now that Santa was here, she wouldn't have to use up all of it to perfect her cooking techniques.
"Aoi...thank you. You're always here the moment I really need you. Maybe you're the psychic after all!"
no subject
"Ok, we can work with this. Way to be prepared, 'Kane." He confiscated the beef, and after a pause, the noodles. Baby steps for the baby sister.
"We'll start with cutting up the vegetables, 'kay?"
no subject
As she took up an onion, she hesitated, staring down at it. ...It was going to make her cry all over again, wasn't it? Oh nooooooooo...
"I heard there was some trick to chopping onions that doesn't make your eyes water, but I don't know what it is," she sighed, peering down at the cutting board. "I don't suppose you know it?"
no subject
The giant cleaver in Akane's hands kind of makes him nervous. He's not sure why, but it makes him think about the averted timelines Akane told him about where he got stabbed and chopped to death. Weird.
"If you got a lemon around here, you can smear lemon juice on the blade before you cut with it. I heard somewhere that that works."
Aoi's solution has always just been to keep his head as far back as possible and power through it. Tough guys like him didn't cry. Cute little sisters, on the other hand...
"Uh, maybe you should do the other veggies first."
no subject
"I guess you can't get much sharper than a Tonberry knife," she grinned awkwardly, laying it down on the counter as she rooted around in the icebox for any lemons. She came out with a can of lemonade. Maybe that would be good enough.
She stopped midstep as he suggested she work on the other vegetables, blinking at him owlishly. Oh? "True... If I'm going to blur my eyes, it's best to do it at the end. Much safer!" She laid a tomato on the cutting board. And turned it the other way. And turned it back again. Then she started slicing it as best she could, but the chunks were large and uneven.
They'd get fed eventually...
[OOC: We can end here if you like, unless there's more conversation you want to get brought up!]